Modelling and power quality Assessment of an electrolytic cleaning line in the steel-making industry

Abstract

This thesis deals with the analysis of the electrical operating conditions in an Electrolytic Cleaning line located inside a relatively new steel-making factory property of Ternium México, and the process to obtain a functional model of the main loads’ circuit using the commercial software MATLAB/Simulink. The motivation for this project was the appearance of several problems in components – whose severity and frequency were not contemplated during the initial design – that were initially believed to stem from Power Quality issues, and a desire to understand the impact that some planned modifications might have in the entire subsystem. In order to validate the data obtained through the simulated model, several pieces of equipment were used to either continuously capture and verify data during normal operation for a period of four weeks or to obtain data at several different occasions during a six-month timeframe. Meanwhile, the aforementioned computer model was being improved by including real-life parameters and characteristics in order to prepare for the eventual simulation. When that was done, the model was fed with data concerning the behavior that devices like an AFE or FOC-based drives would have during normal processing of a roll going through the line. The obtained results were thus contrasted against the actual data obtained by the different measurement devices, producing a discussion centered on the Power Quality attributed of both datasets oriented specifically towards harmonic distortion and its reduction. Finally, several recommendations are given to reduce the effects that were found during the simulation and the various field inspections done during the execution of the project while emphasizing possible avenues of improvement for prospective future work